Diseases
Certain diseases impact different states for a variety of reasons, some of which are simple to explain while others are not. For example, Lyme disease is a growing problem in many of the states located in the Northeast but is almost nonexistent in many other states due to the habitat preference of the ticks that carry the disease. However, for less clear reasons, the incidence rate for prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer among men in the United States, varies significantly by state. In 2019, the incidence rate for prostate cancer in Arizona was 68.7 per 100,000 population while it was 146.6 per 100,000 population in Louisiana. If it is diagnosed early enough, the survival rate for this type of cancer is very high, however, death rates from prostate cancer also vary from state to state, most likely due to screening and treatment access. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States overall, but here too, disparities between states exist, with the top five states with the highest death rates from heart disease all found in the South. Lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, physical inactivity, and diet, most likely contribute to this discrepancy.Health risk factors
Many of the health imbalances between the different U.S. states can be attributed to known health risk factors. For example, rates of smoking, a habit with known health risks, differ greatly by state. In 2021, around 20 percent of adults in West Virginia smoked, compared to just nine percent of adults in California. Rates of obesity, a growing problem across the entire United States, are also much higher in Southern states, with 39 percent of adults in Mississippi obese, compared to 25 percent of adults in Colorado. The recent opioid epidemic has also highlighted health disparities among the states as certain states have struggled more than others with an influx of illegal opioids and resulting addictions and overdose deaths. The state of Delaware reported around 54 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 population in 2021, while Nebraska had just 11.4 overdose deaths per 100,000 population. However, that year, Nebraska had the sixth highest rate of binge drinking among all the U.S. states.
